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Leap Year Lesson #247: You Can Do Nearly Anything, But It May Kill You – So Be Careful

The latter part of this week was a serious crunch time for me. Having been out of the office most of the previous week for business, and preparing to be on vacation next week, I had to catch up from all that backed up on me last week while getting everything necessary complete in order to safely be away next week. It wasn’t easy.

By Thursday night, I knew there was no choice but to literally stay up all night working, so that’s what I did. At 7:15 a.m. Friday I stopped and did my normal morning routine to prep for the day. After attending a Grandparent’s Day event at our granddaughter’s preschool, I went in to work until I was at a stopping point around 3 p.m.

I’ve pulled a number of all nighters in my day, from college years on. I know I stay up too late and sleep too little more days than not, but an all nighter? That is, thankfully, very rare for me at age 55. Here are some thoughts about the experience:

Don’t do it unless there is no other way to get things done that must be done (and make sure you aren’t just imagining that they must be done);

It’s possible before the final day of the work week because you know there is an end in sight;

It’s a great way to churn out tons of uninterrupted work in a lot fewer hours than it would take at the office with all the interruptions that happen there;

It’s probably very bad for your physical health, at least if done regularly;

It’s very good for your psychological health if it helps you get caught up with things that otherwise hang over your head and keep you stressed out.

So, while I’m not recommending you go out and try an all nighter, I’m at least admitting that it’s occasionally possible and helpful if that’s what it takes to get me caught up. It’s a trade-off of risks, so beware. The body may revolt more than you anticipate.

To generalize the experience, I’ll say that leap year lesson #247 is You can do nearly anything, but it may kill you – so be careful.